


Follow My Lead

by Fangirlxwritesx67



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 07:53:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30069045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlxwritesx67/pseuds/Fangirlxwritesx67
Summary: Sam Winchester x Jody Mills4300 words, canon divergent episode 14 x 01Rated E for all the usual things (sex, oral sex, fingering, a little beard kink)Images in title card with permission from @lemondropsonice
Relationships: Jody Mills/Sam Winchester
Kudos: 5





	Follow My Lead

**Author's Note:**

> @lemondropsonice did a series of really lovely edits titled “Bearded!Sam was a gift which I haven’t worshiped enough yet” which, yes. That’s some inspiration right there.  
> Then the incomparable @there-must-be-a-lock and I had a conversation about Sam’s line “Well, some people say it looks good,” and who exactly would’ve told him that.

Sam jolted awake to the insistent screech of his alarm clock. For a long moment, he lay awake in the dark, staring unseeing at the ceiling of his bunker bedroom, limbs heavy. He dragged himself into the shower room, not waiting for it to warm up before he stepped under the spray. He gasped at the cold, but leaned in, as if water could wash away the nightmares along with the sweat and tears.

Afterward, somewhat more awake, he toweled off the mirror. His stubbled reflection still caught him off guard. Once a week or so he swiped at his face with electric clippers, but most days, he sported a look somewhere between scruff and full beard. Why bother with the effort of shaving?

That day was the same as every one before and after: working with the people he - no, he and Dean, he reminded himself - had rescued from Apocalypse world. Training them, equipping them as hunters, all the while pursuing every available lead to track down his brother.

They called him Chief. 

He asked them to stop. 

He felt so unworthy of the title, of the mantle of leadership. Dean should’ve been there to take charge. He would have made a great Chief. Still, almost every day, someone let the nickname slip. 

He had never realized, until then, how much he counted on Dean being there, the two of them facing everything side by side. More than ever, now that people were relying on him, he missed not only his advice, his experience - but his very presence. Sam couldn’t count the number of times he had turned, expecting to see Dean meeting him there, only to be faced again with his loss.

And Dean’s voice, shit. He heard it all the time, like an echo in his mind: sometimes challenging, sometimes teasing, like another heartbeat next to his. He was so used to counting on his brother that it hurt not to have him there, a hollow ache in the pit of his stomach.

He wasn’t sure who he was without Dean. His brother was like a part of him, able to anticipate his every move, finish his thoughts before he spoke. He relied so much on their bond: the two of them fighting back to back, living side by side. 

He had people helping him, of course: Mom, for one, although she was less of a nurturing presence and more comrade in arms. She played a big role in training and acclimating the new hunters. Apocalypse Bobby, although not the father figure he knew and loved and lost, still had his gruff way of checking in. 

The bunker was more full of people than ever, while Sam’s heart echoed hollowly. 

The kitchen was constantly busy, people working in teams, taking turns cooking to feed the bunker inhabitants. Someone always made sure to put a bowl of soup or a sandwich in front of him. He ate them without pausing to think or taste, as mechanically as breathing. 

He felt a moment of relief and hope when Jody called and asked if she could come down and stay for a little while. She had checked in more than once but it took a few weeks for her to arrange some time off from her day job. Plus she was busy with what she jokingly called her Home for Wayward Girls. 

Sam found himself relying on his longtime friend more than he had in the past: for advice, for help leading his ragtag band. She wasn’t Dean, but she had always been there by his side. She knew him well, could help him plan and lead, and he trusted her. The Apocalypse world survivors were slow to trust, but accepted Jody first as a friend of Sam’s, and then as a hunter in her own right. 

One evening, he was leading a briefing in the War Room, standing at the head of the map table to explain a coordinated plan of attack, when suddenly his vision went dark, his knees weak.

“So what we’ll—” His words echoed in his ears. He planted his palms on the table and tried again. “What we’ll do is—” 

Jody stepped up next to him, a hand on his arm, anchoring him. “Go, all of you, prepare, and we’ll meet back tomorrow.” The command in her voice brooked no argument. 

As the footsteps of the last hunter leaving the room faded, she guided him into a chair, pressing a bottle of water into his hand. Her eyes searched his face, concern evident on her features. 

“When was the last time you slept for more than 3 hours?” 

He shrugged and waved one hand dismissively. 

“Or sat down to actually eat a meal? Sam, look at me.” Jody slipped her fingers under his bearded chin, tilting his eyes up to meet hers. It was the closest touch he had felt in ages, and his eyes dipped closed for just a moment. “Please go, get some sleep. Shut off that alarm. And when you wake up, the first order is breakfast in the kitchen.”

He tried to gather words for a rebuttal, but couldn’t argue. He was weary all the way down to the core of his soul. A night of sleep alone couldn’t fix it. But he couldn’t go on this way much longer. He nodded. 

“Rest. I’ve got this.” 

Sam stood up and let Jody, for one moment, pull him into a hug. He wanted to lean in to her, to the feeling of being held. But he knew if he let go now, he would fall apart and might never put himself back together. 

“Thanks,” was all he murmured before he headed down the hall and fell into bed. 

Sam didn’t remember turning off his alarm or falling into a dead sleep. He jolted awake, sure he had slept for days, afraid he had missed something vital. When he turned to the clock on his bedside table, the square green numbers showed just after 7am. He shook his head drowsily. How did he feel so rested, so early?  
  


Then he remembered - Jody. 

He took his usual shower, looked in the mirror and ignored his beard situation as always. He dressed and hurried to the kitchen. 

Jody was already there. She greeted him with a quick hug before grabbing his arm and steering him to the kitchen table. 

“Just coffee for me and then I’ll go,” he protested, but he already knew it was useless to argue with her. Jody, when she set her mind to it, was stubborn as a Winchester. 

When they both had coffee and plates of food in front of them Jody spoke again. 

“I never realized how much of a leader you had in you, Sam Winchester.” 

He shrugged modestly, not sure how to respond. 

He could handle a monster, sure, any one in the book. Training an Apocalypse army? Why not. But praise, coming from a friend he knew and trusted, left him suddenly speechless.

“Leadership looks good on you. Kinda like this beard.” She reached across the table, the brush of her fingers the lightest touch. 

“I never meant for any of this to happen,” he answered, but that didn’t stop him from reaching up to curl his fingers around hers against his cheek. 

“In this life, we don’t always get to choose what happens, only how we respond.” She had this look on her face, wide eyed and soft, and oh shit, how long had she been looking at him like that? 

Just then, someone barged in, looking for coffee. Jody pulled back like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“Anyway.” Her tone shifted to the familiar scolding, but Sam still heard the fondness in it. “You can’t take care of all these people if you don’t take care of yourself. Eating and drinking water, not just coffee, at a minimum. And rest!” 

He stood up and turned to go, but looked back just in time to see her flash a warm wide smile. 

All day, Sam felt a little off balance. Jody was at his side, just like usual, but the way he saw her was anything but usual. He was used to her as a friend, someone he relied on. He wasn’t used to the stir of desire that coiled in his chest when he saw her now. 

And yet every time he turned around, there she was. More than once, he caught her in a way he hadn’t seen before, with that new secret smile on her face. He couldn’t stop thinking of the touch of her fingers on his face and wondered if she was offering him more than just companionship. 

He started to second guess himself, to question if he was reading her wrong, maybe riding the high of a full night of sleep. He was never one to play games— not with a friend, not with Jody. He had to ask her. But catching a moment alone was nearly impossible. 

Late that afternoon, he finally came up with an excuse for the two of them to check something alone, in a storage room. She strode ahead of him, straight down the aisle, when his hand caught her arm and spun her around. 

“Jody.” He heard the insistence in his voice and paused. He took a deep breath, choosing a question over a command. “Something you wanna tell me?” 

She nodded slowly, but her voice was hesitant. “What are you talking about?” 

“I think you know.” Sam waited, every second that past intensifying his doubt. Was he wrong? What had he done now? WAs he driving away one of the only friends he had?

“I’ve never seen you like this.” She finally answered, swallowing hard before finally meeting his gaze. Her dark eyes shined with an unexpected depth of feeling. “Taking charge, but also taking care of all these people. It’s very- attractive.”

“Jody.” His voice was husky. “You know I trust you, and when I’m with you I-” 

His phone rang, and they both started back. Why were they standing like this? When had they gotten so close? 

The rest of the day was busy, no time for the two of them to talk more. But every time she came near, he felt her presence like an electrical charge in the room. He kept noticing things, too, things about her that had never caught his attention before. 

Her legs, and her assertive stride in boots, the slightest sway of her hips. In a knit shirt and jeans, rather than the sheriff’s uniform or layers she wore outside, he could see the curves of her figure. There were little lines by her eyes when she laughed or smiled. How had he never seen how hot that was? 

And her lips looked so soft, he wondered how they would feel on his - no, surely he was reading too much into her complement from earlier? But every time their gaze met, the sparkle in her eyes made him pretty sure she was thinking the same thing. 

Late that night, he finished another strategy session in the War Room. Jody stayed behind after everyone else was gone, but she yawned.

“Hey Jody?” Sam kept his tone light. “Maybe you should go to bed.”

“And leave you alone, Winchester?” Her eyebrows rose in that familiar teasing look. “Not a chance.”

“You been waiting all day to get me alone?” He said it easily, just in case he was wrong. 

Jody laughed, then, but when she looked at him again, her eyes were full of questions. 

Sam took a deep breath and held out his hand. Jody took it, lacing her fingers in with his. 

“I’ve known you for a while, Jody, and I trust you, as a friend, and I-”

She pulled away, hurt closing over her face. “As a friend. Okay. I get it.” 

Sam shook his head. Why couldn’t he find the words to say the simplest things to the people who meant the most? Instead, he reached for her again, cupping her face in his hands. She nodded in his grasp as he lowered his mouth to hers. 

Her lips were as soft and warm as he had been imagining all day. The shyest little whimper escaped her throat as she opened her mouth, inviting him in. 

This time no phone rang, no one interrupted them. The two of them had all the time in the world.

Jody slipped her arms up around Sam’s neck. He slid one hand slowly from her cheek up into her hair. God, how had he not known it would feel like velvet? His other hand strayed lower, tracing the line of her throat, skimming over the rise of her breasts, before settling on her waist. 

He pulled her closer, just a little, with one hand, and she pressed against him, all the warm length of her and shit, he hadn’t known he needed her in his arms but now that he had her, he never wanted to let her go. 

By the time they pulled apart, both of them were breathing hard. 

“Jody,” his voice was little more than a whisper.

“Yeah?”

He tipped his chin down to rest his forehead against hers, so close together that all he could see was the liquid depths of her dark eyes. He could get lost, really, just looking at her. What was he going to say? Did it matter?

“Thank you,” he finally managed. 

She hummed gently; that was all.

He could’ve stayed like that all night, just holding her, enjoying the closeness and the way the glow from the map table lit up her face. 

“I’m going to go to sleep. I need more than 3 hours.” She smiled fondly, and so did he. “We’ll be together again tomorrow, okay?” 

The next day was like every other day before, busy, filled with the driving work of their search for Dean, their mission to train and outfit the Apocalypse survivors. Jody was by Sam’s side, as always. All day long, they shared the tiniest moments, finger brushes over maps and thigh touches under the table and a few stolen smooches during lunch. 

Sam felt something he hadn’t in a long time, the faintest spark of hope or even just relief. Jody clearly sensed the shift in his mood. She lit up under his slightest attention, becoming - Sam didn’t think it was possible, but - even more beautiful. 

Sam announced a night off. There would be no training, no strategy or planning. Everyone was surprised but happy to have a break from the relentless schedule. Dinner that night was more lighthearted than usual, the whole bunker picking up on his change in mood.

Jody was relaxed in a way that she hadn’t been since coming to the bunker. As she laughed and talked freely, Sam couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

Sexy, that was the word that kept coming to mind, and it was true. There was something so sexy about Jody, about the freedom she had, the confidence she expressed. There were no pretenses with her, no need to impress. She was comfortable with who she was, and Sam felt himself relax into that.

He knew her. He wanted to know her more.

He had given everyone the night off, but habit still drew him to the library. That’s where Jody found him, brow furrowed over his laptop and books. 

“Hey, I thought we were taking a break tonight?” she asked, her tone light. “You never take even a moment for yourself.”

He stretched and then drew his hands over his face. “True. I guess I could maybe, I dunno, shave and then get some sleep.” 

“Hey, some people say the beard is a good look for you,” Jody answered, lips curling in an irresistible soft smile.

“Oh yeah?” Sam scoffed, but grinned. “Who says that?” 

“I think it looks good.” She gave him that look, then, eyes wide and brows wide.. She pushed aside the books and leaned against the table, right next to him, so close that Sam could feel the heat coming off her body. 

“The whole Chief thing, kinda irresistible.”

She reached out, short nails rasping in his beard, drawing his face up to meet hers. He smiled as he tilted his face to brush his lips against hers.

The soft kiss deepened, lengthened. Sam wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.

“My room?” he murmured. 

She nodded. He stood up and took her hand, fingers lacing in together. Her long legs kept pace with his down the quiet hall. 

The door was still closing when he pressed her back against it. All the tension of the day, wondering and wanting, was boiling over into desperate need. 

The two of them kissed heatedly, hands undoing buttons and pushing under clothes, trying frantically to get closer, to get skin on skin. Jody threw her arms around Sam’s neck, leaning against his chest as his tongue explored her mouth and she tugged off his layers of shirts. 

Finally he pulled back just long enough to suck in a deep breath and ask, “Is this what you want?” 

“Yes,” she panted. Her hand grabbed his belt, pulling him close. “Just like this”

He sank to his knees in front of her, tugging her jeans down as he went. She lifted one foot and then the other so he could discard pants and panties all together. His hands skimmed up her toned legs, caressing with calloused fingertips. He pressed kisses from her knee upwards, leaving little pink marks where he nuzzled against her with his short beard. 

Finally he parted her lower lips with two fingers and sank into the wet heat of her with his mouth and his tongue. She whimpered and bucked against him. Her knees grew shakier with every moment of his attention.

Finally she gasped his name. “I can’t- don’t let me fall.” 

He looked up at her, taking in the view of her body, the rise of her breasts, and her flushed face. “Do you trust me?” 

She nodded, dark eyes going wide. 

“I got you.”

His hand circled her waist for a moment before his fingers splayed over her hips and then down around, cupping her ass. He could feel her lean into his grasp, testing her weight in his palms for just a moment before giving in. That was his cue to renew his attention to her. 

He kept his word and held her, even as she trembled, as her hands fisted in his hair and her knees buckled. He held her as he pleasured her until she came with a little cry, then eased her through the aftershocks of her orgasm. 

When he looked up at her again, her skin was glowing, her eyes wet. 

“Bed?” she whispered. 

He made sure she could stand before he rose to his feet. 

He pulled back the scratchy bunker blanket that he had never replaced because he didn’t think he deserved better. She tossed aside her bra and lay back naked against the worn white sheets. 

He shucked off his jeans before stretching out beside her. He ran his fingers into her hair, ruffling her short cropped hair and kissing her cheek, her nose, the laugh lines in the corner of her eye, the curve of her jaw.

He had seen her so many ways over the years, taking charge in tense situations, hurt and scared, comfortable and relaxed. But he had never seen her like this, so soft and vulnerable and wanting.

“Shit, you’re beautiful,” he murmured before he lowered his face and nuzzled against the curve of her neck. “I don’t know how I missed it all these years. But tonight-” His voice broke a little.

“Tonight?” She encouraged him between kisses that skimmed his scruffy jawline. 

“I just want to forget everything else and be with you.” 

Jody rolled onto her back, pulling him along with her, keeping him close. The bedside lamp cast shadows over her face, lit from within by desire. 

Now that he had her in his bed, bare in front of him, Sam took his time. He rested one hand just below her throat, waiting for her breath to slow. 

His hands traced over her collarbone, fingers dipping into the little hollows there, before sliding down to cup her breasts, holding the weight of them in his palms. His thumbs circled her nipples, and she hissed in a breath. He lowered his mouth to her as his hands continued downward, over her ribs and the flare of her hips. He trailed his fingertips over the soft rise of her stomach.

Every inch of her was beautiful, the curves and angles of her body, old scars and faded stretch marks. Her skin prickled under his touch, muscles flexing as she tried to angle towards him, to get more. He could’ve stayed like that for hours, just loving the shape of her. 

But she grabbed his wrist with her hand, pressed in down between her legs. 

“Please.” Her voice was ragged with need.

He explored with his fingers what he had already claimed with his mouth, letting her guide him with her touch over his. He listened closely to the little sounds she was making, the gasps and whimpers. 

He eased one finger into her, then two, working her open, pumping in and out slowly. He murmured soft encouragements to her, praising her and telling her just how good she looked. 

He watched as her eyes fluttered closed, her head tipping back against the pillow, her mouth dropping open for short panting breaths. Her back bowed, the length of her body arching up against his, grinding into his hand, as fractured pleas rolled out over her lips. 

He watched until she bucked up hard and clamped down on his fingers, moaning his name as she came. He watched until she relaxed, until she drew in a deep shaky breath, until her eyes opened again and locked on his. 

She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, pulling him down for a kiss. He met her lips eagerly, hungrily, and couldn’t himself from rutting up against her thigh. 

“Yes,” she murmured, just above a whisper. “Please.” There was no show or pretense, just the open safety of knowing one another.

He lay on his side and rolled her to meet him, drawing her in with one arm around her waist. It took a minute, some shifting, but she guided him right where she wanted him. He picked up kissing her, then, as he rocked into her slowly. 

He reached down with one hand to lift her knee up. She took his cue, and wrapped her leg around his ass. That opened her up more, so he could go in deeper. She whimpered, and he sighed. 

They settled into a rhythm, bodies pressed together, all slick heat and need. They kissed over and over, faces close, breathing in the same air with little panting moans and gasps, the two of them grinding and moving together, chasing their release.

Her fingers slid up into his hair and tightened as she cried out. When she clenched down around him, he couldn’t hold back anymore. His last few thrusts were hard, desperate, and then his hips stuttered. He buried his face in her shoulder, biting back a groan, as his orgasm shuddered through him from head to toe. 

The two of them clung to one another as their heartbeats slowed and their breathing evened out. Sam pulled away reluctantly. Jody made a soft noise of protest deep in her throat and reached for him and he kissed her fingertips before standing up. 

“I’ll be back, I promise.” He returned with a warm wet cloth and together, the two of them cleaned up. Then Jody got up and began gathering her discarded clothes. 

He turned and walked reluctantly to his dresser. He pulled out a pair of sleep pants and wordlessly put them on. 

He wanted to ask Jody to stay, wanted to beg her not to leave him, to give him just a little while longer. He needed her now, more than ever. But he didn’t know how to ask. What if that wasn’t what this was? What if this was just - 

He turned back to the bed and saw Jody settled back against the pillows. She led out a hand, beckoning him into his own bed. He relaxed, knowing she wanted to stay, and went to her. 

He laid down, curling around her and pulling her close with one arm. She fit against him perfectly, her back pressed to his chest, her legs tucked around his, skin warm everywhere their bodies touched. He leaned down and pressed kisses against the velvety short hair at the back of her neck. 

She hummed drowsily and pulled his arm around her more tightly. 

Sam slept better and longer that night than he had in weeks. When he woke up, he was lying on his back, Jody resting against his chest. She stirred when he did, and pressed a soft kiss under his ear, right on the edge of his beard.

He murmured her name, his voice low and raspy from sleep. She looked up, her eyes wide and open. Before doubts could crowd in again, she smiled. What he saw in her gaze was more lasting than a flash of lust, deeper than friendship. It was trust.

“I do like this look on you.” Jody smiled as she waved a hand vaguely at his beard, his bare chest. 

“Are you sure?” Sam teased before his lips met hers in a deep kiss. 

“I think I know what I want and you know exactly how to give it to me.” She raised her dark brows in that irresistible expression, dark eyes flashing. “Chief.”

Coming from her, Sam didn’t mind the nickname at all.


End file.
